When Freud returned to etching in 1982, after a thirty-three-year hiatus, his style had profoundly changed. Instead of sharply drawn contours and narrative content, he focused on capturing the physical and emotional states his subjects revealed during intense portrait sessions, which lasted for several hours a day for weeks or even months. Freud was close with almost all the people he portrayed. His stepson Kai is shown here casually dressed against a sparse background; the simplicity of the setting contrasts with the detailed depiction of his facial features. Although he had exacting standards for his etchings, Freud embraced unintentional marks transferred from plate to print and faint lines that came from modifications to the composition.